Christmas in Houston
by butterfly collective
Summary: It's some years b/f "Glimmer of Twilight" and C.J. and Alex discuss Christmas holiday plans while Walker investigates the death of a mysterious woman
1. Chapter 1

Here's a multi-part but short Christmas story which takes place after the Valentine cross-fiction with Walker: Texas Ranger and years before "Glimmer of Twilight". Hope you enjoy it and thanks for reading.

* * *

C.J. walked inside her apartment that waited for her at the end of her arduous work days at the public defenders department in downtown Houston. She had been working there for nearly a year after she had graduated from Harvard, law degree in hand and some great references including one from a mentor, F. Lee Bailey.

She loved her job, though the work was challenging what with writing tons of legal briefs and motions and after passing the state bar exam in her first attempt, appearing in court to defend indigent defendants charged with a variety of different crimes including felonies. This week for example, she had been appearing in court on a preliminary hearing defending a man accused of armed robbery. She didn't think the case against him to be particularly strong, too many holes in the police reports to challenge and some sketchy eyewitness accounts. And even if he were guilty, she knew that every defendant was entitled to the best defense possible in a criminal court of law and she made it her mission to put everything she had learned from her education into her job.

Not that her busy days and often evenings spent at the law library adjacent to the courthouse didn't leave her with time to have fun. She hung out with a young prosecutor, a rising star in her office named Alex Cahill who she had bumped into one morning in the bathroom while she had been tossing her cookies because she had been so nervous on her first day spent in the courtroom in her new job. They spent Friday evenings kicking back in their favorite restaurant with other members of the legal community and if they were on opposite insides of the courtroom, they put all that aside outside of it. Yeah, there were spirited debates sometimes but they discussed everything else too.

Including their upcoming plans for Christmas.

C.J. didn't have any, because she and Jonathan had broken up, this time probably for good and the last time, she had gone to his family ranch in Silver Lode to spend Christmas with her family. She had loved it, believing him to have the nicest family and had spent most of her time while the men had been ice fishing on the lake, sitting before the fireplace with his mother and friends of the family who lived on neighboring ranches. She thought Jonathan's mother had liked her just fine and being there had given her a taste of family life she hadn't really had most of her life.

Her best friend Matt had been jetting back and forth from Europe and Far East Asia on business trips for his father, and she knew he had spent his time picking up the skills he would need to start his own company some day. But she really didn't see him very much because he traveled so much and her job, kept her so busy, even when he had been in town. She heard stories about him though in the meantime, about business deals he had closed and the women he went out on the town with and presumably brought home with him as well.

His face lit up the society columns that covered the scene of the upper crust in Houston many a time and she shook her head when she sat it while reading the daily newspaper usually on the fly inside the coffee corner in the courthouse before appearing on a case.

But now she had arrived home, which was sparsely furnished because she didn't spend much time there but decorated with photos on the wall of her family and friends as well as some vintage paintings she had picked up from some art galleries since she arrived here and when she forayed into the state capital, Austin. In the corner, was a small Christmas tree, a fake one that she had gotten when she had been in Harvard Law School to keep her company during the weeks preceding the holidays when she would spend Christmas back in Texas with Matt's father, keeping him company while his son had been enlisted in the Army working military intelligence in some unknown location overseas.

There had been office parties celebrating the holidays and she had even attended the one where Alex worked in the so-called enemy camp where she watched the fiery blond prosecutor spar in the corner with a young Texas Ranger with broad shoulders and the hint of shadow named Cordell Walker. He had come across as a somewhat quiet but intelligent law enforcement officer who had been very good at his job and had impressed his superiors.

C.J. thought him to be quite attractive and had thought about asking him out when she put her relationship with Jonathan completely behind her. Still, he seemed to have this thing for Alex, which C.J. figured was what this sparring had been all about after all. Once while drinking Margaritas at their hangout she had broached the topic with Alex, saying she should just get it together and ask Walker out for drinks. But Alex never took her up on her suggestion and what kept C.J. from asking him out herself, was the knowledge that underneath it all, Alex truly liked the earnest young man.

Her phone rang interrupting that reverie and she saw quickly enough who called her.

"Houston…Hi…you sound kind of far away…where are you?"

She knew he smiled on the other end of the line.

"I'm at Kyoto International," he said, "I'm waiting for the jet to be prepped to take off."

"Take off," she said, "Where are you heading?"

Probably to some other exotic location where he'd tie up another sweet business deal with his somewhat excitable but very ambitious accountant, Murray Chase, by his side.

"Actually, I'm heading to Houston for Christmas," he said, "I should be there sometime tomorrow."

That surprised her.

"Oh…really…"

"You got any plans?"

She sighed.

"A lot of work to finish up but I hope to be done."

"C.J…they're not making you work on Christmas are they because if they are, then I'll be down there to set them straight…"

She chuckled.

"Houston..,Of course I'll get it off," she said, "but you're one to talk…you were out of the country on Thanksgiving."

"Yeah I know," he said, "Got snowed in during that freakish storm in Paris."

Must have been a real hardship, C.J. thought, after all there were worse places to be stuck though she did know Matt prized his time with his family even though he didn't always see eye to eye with his father.

"Well, you're returning home now…no I don't have any plans actually," she said, "I usually spend it with Jonathan and his family."

Matt knew that the two of them had broken up and that this time it would stick. Jonathan had moved to D.C. full time to move up the ladder of the U.S. Marshal's office. She couldn't blame him for his ambition because she had been the same way during their stormy relationship. But damn, getting back into the dating scene…she just didn't have much time and no interest in anyone at the office.

"Then why don't you come to the house and spend it with us," Matt said, "I know Daddy would love to have you over and Roy and Flo will be there too."

C.J. felt her heart quicken with a bit of sadness, because she knew that they were still mourning the loss of their son, Will, who had been Matt's cousin and had served with him in the military. At least until he was captured and presumably killed by the enemy…his body never recovered.

"I'd love to Houston," she said, "I'll bring something."

"That'd be nice," Matt said, "You know everyone loves your fudge cookies…the ones with a hint of what is it…"

She smiled to herself.

"Gin…but not too much."

He said goodbye and hung up then because his pilot had called him about the plane but not without saying that he missed her and looked forward to seeing her again.

After that, she made herself a quick supper and did some work for some cases while sipping some apple cider she had heated up. She looked over at the Christmas tree thinking about the holidays ahead.

* * *

The card appeared the next morning in her mailbox. She frowned wondering if she had forgotten to check her mail the night before but she took it out anyway, noticing the elegant script on the envelope similar to other cards she had received earlier.

Beginning on Valentine's Day last year, as far as she could remember and at the time, she thought it had been Jonathan. He had told her that he hadn't sent her such a card and she had never figured out who had been sending them. They bore simple messages like, look forward to see you soon, or that she and the sender would reunite again.

That made no sense to her because she didn't know who the person was and this latest card, stark in its ivory shade of white without any marks on it said the same thing. Her brow furrowed, who on earth sent these cards and why. Was it some secret admirer as some of her friends had theorized? And if so, would she ever find out who or would he ever show his face, reveal his identity?

She just put the card back in its envelope to take back in the apartment to be put in the drawer with the others like it when she came back home later. Looking at her watch, she realized she had better get going before she would be late to work. The sun shone brightly but lacked warmth and the forecasters had said that rain would come by the holidays.

Traffic was light and she parked her car in the garage and headed into the main office where she would check for messages before heading to her cubicle. Several other junior defenders looked at her from where they sat drinking coffee in their own work areas.

"You've got that case today don't you?"

C.J. looked up.

"You mean the Bennett case," she said, "I think so. It got transferred to me when Margaret quit."

"Good luck…hey did you hear the news this morning," a woman named Gwen asked.

"No," said Douglas, a tall guy with glasses who C.J. had coffee with once.

Gwen sighed.

"They found a dead woman…"

C.J. hesitated in pouring her own dose of coffee and listened, her body growing tense.

"That was late yesterday," Douglas said, "Not much left of her though she was pretty young…No ID."

Another lawyer, Phyllis shook her head.

"That's great…a suspect gets arrested and charged and you know our office will pick up the defense."

Somehow C.J. didn't think the police would find this guy. Damn, there had been women who had killed and dumped in a river in Boston when she had been in school there but then that must happen all over.

"Any idea how she died," C.J. asked.

Douglas looked over at her.

"Body was badly bruised," he said, "They don't know when she got them though and they think it might have been strangulation."

C.J. felt sick at that moment, and her coffee burned her throat. She walked back to her cubicle, to catch her breath.

"Damn, I'll hate it if that case comes to our office," Gwen said, "Hopefully it will be some guy who can afford his own counsel."

C.J. thought about it as she headed towards the courthouse walking the short distance down the tree-lined street and trying to focus on her case and not on what she could not control in the world.

She ran into Walker at the elevator and he looked pretty grim, carrying an envelope she knew included warrants that needed to be signed by a judge. He glanced over at her and smiled.

"Hi there," he said, pressing the elevator button.

"Hi," she said, "Busy day?"

He nodded.

"Yeah we're helping out with that body that was discovered last night," he said, "Though the feds have been brought in because she's not from around here. She's got some strange markings on her, like a brand."

C.J. frowned.

"From the killer," she asked.

"We don't know," he said, "She was pretty battered probably by whoever did this not to mention the time spent in the water. She wound up wrapped around a pier piling."

"So she was tossed from a ship or boat?"

Walker nodded.

"Possibly…she wouldn't have been pulled out to sea enough from shore to get around most of that pier."

She shook her head.

"It's so awful," she said, "There's some real evil in this world."

"Can't disagree with that," he said, "It keeps myself and others in the agency real busy even this time of year."

Christmas, when happiness and joy were supposed to prevail over grief and suffering, where somewhere someone's celebration would be marred by a funeral.

"Who was she?"

Walker sighed.

"No one knows…she didn't carry ID…so they're running prints," he said, "though it's a long shot anything will show up unless she has an arrest record at least."

Maybe they would get lucky and they would be able to identify her so that if she had family out there, they would have their questions about her fate answered rather than left hanging over their heads forever.

"Alex is taking it a bit hard."

C.J.'s brows raised in surprise but not at Alex' reaction because she fought tirelessly for the victims after all including in murder cases…but because Walker knew about it.

"Her office will prosecute the guy if he's caught and charged won't it?"

Walker shrugged.

"Maybe…unless it's federal…there's some suspicion that this is part of some larger operation…possibly smuggling if she wore a brand…or maybe it's a signature left by some type of serial killer."

C.J.'s eyes widened.

"Wow, I hope they find whoever did it but I don't think…"

"You don't think they will," Walker finished, "He's pretty good at eluding discovery so far if this is the same person who killed those two women earlier this year."

C.J. remembered those women, one had been around Valentine's Day the other in the summer time. Both had been young women with long dark hair and who were badly bruised and possibly strangled though no one could be sure.

Just like the women in Boston, she told herself.

But no, they couldn't have all been killed by the same person, that made no sense at all. It had to be a coincidence.

"Will they be looking for similar killings in other cites?"

Walker looked up at her before walking into the open elevator.

"Yes they will and if there are some matches, hopefully we'll find them."

* * *

C.J. headed off to the restaurant later that day after work and she immediately saw Alex sitting there with her margarita and a bowl of chips and salsa. She went to the booth and sat down across from her.

"How's your day?"

Alex just looked up at her and C.J. could see it hadn't gone that well at all.

"What happened?"

Alex sighed before sipping from her glass.

"I lost a prelim hearing that I really wanted to win," she said, "Judge Bower is just so unreasonable."

C.J. had heard the comments about one of the courthouse's older judicial officers who had sat on the bench for several decades and he had been tough on both prosecutors and defense attorneys alike, not playing favorites like some of his colleagues did.

"So the case is dropped?"

Alex nodded.

"Oh we can file against him on some other incidents but he might be in jail again on something else before that happens."

C.J. had grown all too aware even as a public defender that often the courts and jails proved to be a revolving door for criminals. Some of the ones she had been assigned to defend had been through the system before and their office too but she just did the best job that she could to legally represent them. Although there were times she questioned what she had been doing.

Like when monsters wandered the city and murdered women before dumping them in the ocean.

"I'm sorry Alex…really I am."

Alex nodded.

"I know even though we work on opposite sides of the courtroom."

That might be but C.J. considered Alex one of her closest friends since she moved back to Houston.

"So you got plans for the holidays," she asked the prosecutor.

Alex made a face.

"My father…he called me and wants to see me again…and he even sent a Christmas card but I won't…I can't…"

C.J. didn't exactly understand what had happened between Alex and her dad but she had grown up without one and had felt that loss keenly so a part of her hoped that things hadn't gotten so bad they couldn't be patched up. But she never pushed her friend for that reason, because she didn't know much of the back story.

"Does he do this a lot?"

"Every year at this time…it's like at Christmas he remembers I exist and he and my mother…maybe that's why I messed up with my last boyfriend."

The one that had abused her, C.J. had remembered, having seen the bruises on her face especially after that last incident, the one that galvanized Alex to finally leave him. But once Alex stopped beating herself up over it, it made her a better prosecutor and she had gotten involved in a domestic violence group and it had made a huge difference for her.

"So I'll probably spend time with some cousins of mine in Dallas," Alex said, "We have a good time together so I'm looking forward to it."

C.J. nodded thinking that sounded quite nice.

"What about you," Alexis asked.

C.J. smiled, grabbing a couple tortilla chips and dipping them in salsa.

"I'm spending it with Houston…you remember him and his family at the ranch house. They have a nice dinner and then they sit by the fire and there's music."

Alex smiled.

"That should be fun."

"We haven't done it in a while since I was still going with Jonathan so it will be our first Christmas in a few years,"

"So how's Matt anyway, he have a girlfriend?"

C.J. rolled her eyes.

"You mean girlfriends," she said, "I don't know…I don't pay that much attention to that part of his life."

Alex sipped his drink.

"Well Jonathan is out of the picture so maybe…"

C.J. shook her head.

"No…it's not like that between us…we're just friends, really close friends."

The way she liked it, she told herself and besides, Matt moved from relationship to relationship fairly quickly and if he did that to her, it would break her heart and what would it do to their friendship?

She couldn't bear it if it affected it in any way.

"Okay…well he just really seems like a nice guy and he's really fond of you."

C.J. smiled.

"Of course, we're friends after all…and I have that secret admirer…"

"Heard from him lately," Alex asked.

"Today actually…another card, have no idea who it could be."

Alex sipped her drink again.

"Hopefully someone good looking," she said, "and who won't be admiring in secret for long."

C.J. thought that it might be someone that she knew casually or in passing maybe at work who just didn't feel comfortable enough approaching her directly. Still something about the cards and how they arrived at certain times…something nagged at her but she didn't know what.

Her phone rang again. She picked it up and saw that it was Matt.

"Where are you," she asked.

"In town…the plane landed an hour ago and I'm getting ready to leave the airport."

"You've eaten?"

"No I haven't…got any ideas?"

C.J. looked at Alex.

"We're here at that restaurant you liked so much last time if you'd like to join us," she said, "We haven't even ordered yet."

"Okay I'll be right there," he said, "Traffic's not bad tonight….see you."

She clicked off her phone and put it back in her purse.

"He's on his way…why don't you call up Walker to join us to make a foursome?"

Alex just stared at her blankly.

"Why would I like that?"

C,J, just looked at her.

"Because you like him," she said, "You know if you don't ask him out, I think I will…He's great looking and I think it'd be fun."

Alex started to say something then stopped.

"Fine…you can have him…"

C.J. just narrowed her eyes at her friend and saw the hint of vulnerability in her face that she had heard in her words.

"I won't do that if you like him," she said, "but I don't know why you don't just ask him out for coffee or something."

Alex bit her lip.

"It's just different with him," she said, "Ten minutes and we'd be arguing some point on some issue."

C.J. smiled.

"You do that a lot I noticed."

Alex didn't say anything then.

"Just think about it okay…after Christmas."

Alex just remained quiet for a long moment and then she nodded.

"Okay…I'll ask him out for coffee after Christmas. He's going to the reservation to stay with his family there I imagine anyway."

C.J. smiled at her friend just knowing that it would be a great start with a guy she really liked and who despite his demeanor, liked her too.

Alex smiled and then clasped her hands in front of her.

"Okay now that we settled my life what about yours?"

C.J. just stared at her not knowing how to answer that.


	2. Chapter 2

Another installment is up, thanks for reading! 

"Well…"

Alex had pushed C.J. for an answer but she had just taken another sip of her margarita. There was nothing to say really, she had been very busy now and didn't have much time to socialize.

"Well what?"

Alex folded her arms looking at her.

"Come on…when's the last time you've been on a date since Jonathan?"

C.J. didn't even want to go there, because yeah, it had been a while since she had gone out with someone but she hadn't really felt ready to do so, coming out of a long-term relationship. Guys had asked but she had said no, with a smile but still not interested. She had really loved her ex but it had gotten so complicated because their ambitions took them in divergent directions, so much so that they found the distance that had grown between them nearly impossible to bridge. But the breakup had made it harder for her to move on that easily.

"I just don't have the time right now."

She knew that Alex didn't buy that but she didn't have a better answer. But her friend knew enough to change the subject.

"What about Christmas shopping?"

C.J. sighed.

"I'm actually almost done with that," she said, "except for one."

"Better than me," Alex sighed, "I just got started and with two felony trials back to back…the price of success I guess."

C.J. agreed, because if anyone had risen to the top of her profession quickly, it was the woman sitting in front of her.

"Excuse me ladies…"

C.J. knew the sound of that voice and turned around smiling.

"Houston…"

She got up out of her seat and went over to embrace him tightly, kissing him on the cheek. He put his hands on her upper arms looking at her.

"You look great," he said, "a sight for sore eyes."

She put her hand on one hip and looked at him closer.

"You look just fine for having flown all day," she said, "hungry?"

He nodded and she made room for him to sit next to her. He had dressed for a long trip in casual slacks and a jersey shirt and his cologne…to say she liked it would be an understatement.

"We'll order then," C.J. said, as the waitress dropped by ready to take it. They ordered a ton of delicious food and prepared to catch up with each other's lives.

Matt pushed his plate away, empty of course.

"That really hit the spot," he said, "I didn't eat much on the flight…had work to finish up with Murray."

C.J. sighed.

"It was so great that you made it for Christmas…"

He smiled at her.

"And that we're spending it together…it's been a while hasn't it?"

She nodded, but that didn't matter because she looked forward to their time together.

"We've both been so busy," she said, "Your father's certainly been pleased with what you've accomplished so far."

Matt shrugged.

"I guess the stock has been a bit higher."

She shook her head at him, knowing that there had been some friction between the two of them.

"Houston, he's proud of you and he should be," she said, "and you're gaining the skills to help you build your own company someday."

He grew pensive.

"I'm thinking of building it out of state like in California."

"That might work," she said, "but you'd better take some of Texas with you."

He sipped his drink.

"What about you," he asked, "Why don't you come work with me and help me build my empire?"

C.J. looked over at Alex. It hadn't been the first time he had asked.

"Houston, I love my work," she said, "I love criminal law; it's what I want to do with my life and my education.

He understood that pretty well but you couldn't blame a man for trying and she was his best friend not to mention the smartest legal mind he had ever met and he definitely wanted her on his team.

Well he still had time after all. A couple of more years at least until he made his move, plenty of time to soften her up.

Matt and C.J. walked down the well lit streets in downtown Houston, looking in all the windows. Alex had left the restaurant to get ready to head on to her cousins and so the two of them had taken a stroll, her arm looped in his own. She teased him a bit about his Christmas shopping seeing as how he had whipped out at the last minute to fill his list.

Then she had grown pensive, even as she leaned her head against his shoulder. Something had clearly been her mind and it had been that woman.

"Houston, do you ever wish you had the power to do anything?"

He thought about it as they stopped in front of an appliance store.

"Sometimes…I certainly do when I think about Will…"

She knew how much he wished he could undo the past and rewrite the present to include his cousin back alive and home with his family who still mourned him. But only in one's mind could that happen. But he wondered why she had asked such a question.

"What's going on here," he asked.

She just pursed her lips.

"Nothing…I guess…well I was thinking about the woman who they found dead this morning near the pier…she didn't have a name yet but she must have a family somewhere."

Matt digested that having heard the news when he had driven to the restaurant. The latest had been that the prints had been run to try to identify the young woman but so far nothing more had been released by either the Houston Police Department or the FBI.

"I'm sure they're working hard to figure out who she is and then find her family."

She nodded thoughtfully.

"What if they've been out looking for her," she said, "What if they still have hope that she's alive?"

He sighed, feeling the emotions behind her questions and wishing he knew what to say to her.

"Then they'll find out the truth and that's better than false hope," Matt said, "If we didn't know the truth about Will, I don't know if his parents would have been able to move forward."

She understood that because after all, there had been months of uncertainty when Matt's cousin had been officially missing in action, before his designation had been changed by the military.

"True…I wonder what it was like for that woman…for other women like her," she said, "Wondering if anyone's going to find them but then he kills them."

Matt thought she was being uncharacteristically morose in her comments so he stopped and looked at her.

"Horrible things happen and they happen in ways that make no sense," he said, "but someone's going to get that killer before long I think."

C.J. just sighed, something in the back of her mind telling her it wasn't going to be that easy but understanding what he was saying.

"Houston what if…"

He gently pushed her hair back off of her face.

"I wouldn't stop at anything to find you," he said, "Nothing would keep me from doing that."

She knew he meant it and he did have specialized training. He had been very good at his job and she wondered if he would ever use those skills professionally. She knew he aced at business dealings but she had a feeling a better vocation awaited him but he'd have to settle down a bit first from all this traveling to find it.

But there had been that time…no she didn't want to think about that and she had never told him about what had happened at the end of her first year in law school. The time when she had met up with evil and nearly…well she and her friends had barely gotten away with their lives.

And they had put it behind them. Still she wondered if it had messed her and Jonathan in ways that her close friendship with Matt didn't given how her ex had felt about that.

They continued walking down the street for a while as late Christmas shoppers milled about them.

C.J. finished decorating her small apartment and she turned on some Christmas tunes on the eve before the big holiday. Alex had called her to say that she had gotten to her cousins safely and they were already trying to set her up with one of their friends. That had earned a chuckle from C.J.

Matt would be dropping by to spend the evening with her after he finished a round of parties. She had been working on a case that had taken up too much time already and she hoped that at the hearing the day after Christmas it would get postponed. To give herself a break, she had gotten some lavender salts and some candles and had retreated to her bathtub for a while. Closing her eyes and letting the soothing water work its magic.

The police had still been searching for the killer of that young woman but he had left not a trace that he had ever been to Houston. And maybe he hadn't, maybe he had picked her up someone where else and dumped her off his boat in passing and she just happened to wash up there. But her mind had been clouded with thoughts that there was some killer out there just like there had been in Boston...Just like…no it was Christmas Eve and she wasn't going to dwell on those things. Her best friend was coming and they had so much to still catch up on.

The weather had been cool all day, the skies grey and she knew that the rain in the forecast would hit soon.

She dressed in a woolen sweater dress, that was festive and it molded to her body quite well and with a pair of leggings, she felt ready to go. She had finished baking the fudge she would be taking over to Matt's father's house and had started in on some cookies.

Suddenly the doorbell rang and she smiled as she went to the door. Matt stood there holding a package which he handed to her.

"Found it right here…special delivery…"

She looked over it, her brows furrowed.

"Doesn't have a return address or name…"

Matt's brows lifted.

"Secret admirer then," he asked.

She sighed not even wanting to get into that with him.

"I guess…come in…I've got some brandy and some cookies…"

That made him quite happy and they served themselves up before retreating to the living room.

"You know I still owe you a gift," she said, "but with the trial coming up and two prelims…"

He pulled her in his embrace and gently kissed her face before taking his hands in her own.

"Don't worry about it…it's just great to see you…"

They went to sit in the couch and talked awhile, him sharing his business deals he had made all across Asia and she, her most challenging cases. She grew more relaxed the way she did when sipping brandy and spending time with him. She could just be herself because he loved her that way and so she did him.

"What about that package," he said, "Kind of curious to see what's inside it."

Her mouth went dry suddenly and she pushed some hair aside.

"Houston…it's not Christmas…it can wait."

He tilted his head and turned to face her.

"Come on…one little present. I will tell Santa."

The trace of eagerness in his voice and the twinkle in his eye…well who could say no to that?

Definitely not her, she thought reaching for the package which she unwrapped carefully. The black satiny box which met her made her eyes widened. She recognized the name of the shop on it and pricy didn't begin to describe it. So did Matt and his eyes widened as well.

"Some secret admirer you got there C.J."

She heard a couple different things in his voice, surprise and a tinge of well, what was it anyway but she got the feeling he wasn't entirely happy? Now why would that be, they were just best friends after all and best friends…well she scrapped the rest of that as she opened the box and then her mouth dropped open.

"Those are real diamonds and rubies," Matt said, frowning slightly.

She picked up the bracelet which had been done in gold, an elegant design but beautiful.

"Is there a card?"

She found a small one, which read, "_for when we meet again_."

Matt looked at her.

"Who is this guy?"

She sighed, putting the jewelry back in the box.

"I don't know but when I run into him I'm going to tell him this is just way too extravagant."

Matt placed the dollar amount very high and he knew that expensive gifts tended to embarrass his best friend. She liked the simpler pleasures after all.

"I get cards too, usually around the holidays and when…"

No, she had to park that thought that had just filled here…it couldn't have anything to do with what had been found in the ocean this morning.

She rubbed her eyes.

"Tired?"

She shrugged.

"It's been a tough week Houston…Sometimes I wonder if I'm doing my job right and for the right reasons."

He reached out and rubbed her back with his fingers and she relaxed.

"You want to be a criminal lawyer right?"

She nodded.

"Yeah…working for F. Lee, that was one of my favorite jobs but some of the guys I represent, I know they're guilty Houston."

He watched her face then knowing that she struggled.

"And what if one of them someday is a murderer like the man who killed that woman?"

He considered that as she waited, with her brandy in her hand.

"That might happen but even a guilty person deserves legal representation," he said, "That's the foundation of our country and its constitution."

She nodded, fully understanding that but this visceral feeling she had about evil in the world and within her sightline just made her question her choices she had made.

"You are going out with anyone?"

She looked at him, so like him to switch topics and pick a favorite one.

"Houston!"

He smiled at her, innocently.

"I know that you and Jonathan didn't work out and I was just wondering if you were out again."

"In that meat market…no thanks and don't look at me like that, that's what it feels like sometimes."

Matt nodded, not entirely in disagreement. But being a traveler he got to sample many different markets and it suited him quite well when he was out and about but at home…he found himself thinking of one woman.

"It's hard Houston…maybe it's easier for a guy like you…"

He frowned then.

"A guy like me, what does that mean," he asked, leaning forward.

She tilted her head up at him.

"I didn't mean anything bad, it's just that you meet women and you like them and you fall into bed with them and then you walk away. Like it's so easy to do that…"

Matt sighed, looking at her. No, maybe sometimes it was just _easier_.

"C.J. I have serious relationships too," he said, "It's just since I've been back in Houston, I'm hardly ever here."

She had to concede him that, as he had definitely become a jetsetter.

"It works for you and I think that's great…"

He frowned at that, no it didn't work for him but there just wasn't a woman in Houston or elsewhere that really attracted him to more than just one night of mutual fun or a weekend. On the other hand, C.J. packed a lot of beauty and spirit into her that he surely thought would be attracting men by droves, not that he felt too comfortable about that.

This secret admirer for one thing…something nagged at him…because the guy was invisible…the gift expensive and a show of that…Something that someone might do if they wanted to exert dominance over a person like her from the shadows of secrecy…but then again, he probably was reaching again, his more investigative and military trained side reasserting itself into his civilian life again.

"C.J…"

Her hair looked so beautiful in the light.

"What…"

Damn, if there were some mistletoe hanging around, there'd be an excuse but he had cased her apartment with his trained eye and that was the one holiday ornament that had been missing.

"Nothing…"

He wondered what she would think if he asked her out to dinner…wait no, they did that whenever he was in town. He had dropped by the restaurant the other night and she had been there with Alex not dressed for a date…but tonight that dress…well it showed off certain attributes but he knew that she wore it for comfort not for his benefit. Though he enjoyed it anyway.

She was beautiful in an earthy way and she had to know that…and kind and funny and a joy to hang with when their lives slowed down a little bit. Sometimes his hands itched to touch her, his lips wanted to kiss her in not out of platonic friendship but whatever agreement they had…when had that been again…well it worked he thought except for moments like this one.

"Houston, it's the brandy…"

"What?"

He had been caught off guard by that comment.

"What you're thinking…

No, actually it was the damn dress and the way her hair touched her shoulders. Her perfume, light and delicate in a way the woman who wore it was not. He shifted position on the couch.

"I'm just thinking that this year's been very…busy and it's kind of nice to see it end more quietly."

"In like a lion and out like a lamb," she said, smiling.

He nodded.

"I know the feeling," she said, "and it's great spending it here with my best friend in the world…"

Outside the house, a dark car had parked and a man inside had sat watching the lights and occasional shadows of people moving inside the house. Just as he had been instructed when he had been told to handle the gift, he thought. Damn his boss had expensive tastes because the money it cost…more than he made on this particular job so far. But his boss, over the phone, had been very specific with the job and he had promised to double his bonus when he completed it.

He settled into his seat and watched the house.


	3. Chapter 3

Last installment to this holiday story, hope you enjoyed it and thanks for reading!

* * *

The morning dawned just beautifully, and C.J. rose to the sound of Christmas music on her clock radio. She got out of bed and wandered into the kitchen and out of the corner of her eye…saw a shape on the couch beneath a blanket. At least a familiar one and she remembered that Matt had fallen asleep on the sofa at some point. He must have been exhausted, she thought, maybe that whirlwind lifestyle of his catching up with him. It had been great spending the quite evening with him, just sitting back with some brandy and talking but she had this feeling…

She shook her head at herself and walked into the kitchen to make them both some coffee and something simple like scrambled eggs, bacon and toast. Her stomach rumbled because they had subsisted mostly on sweets last night and she hungered for something more substantial.

About when she had finished the eggs, he wandered in behind her and placed his hands on her shoulders.

"Need any help?"

She turned around and smiled at him, at how ruffled his hair had gotten during sleep and his shadow…no turn back towards the food again. He went to get some plates and some mugs for the coffee and they both served themselves up happily enough before sitting in her breakfast nook. She had worn her favorite blue robe wrapped around her.

"How'd you sleep," she asked, "That couch can't have been all that comfortable."

He yawned.

"Fine…I must have been very tired…if I fell asleep during one of our conversations."

She shrugged as she forked up some eggs.

"Houston, we've both been working very hard and the holidays are a good time for it all to catch up. I don't take it personally if I put you to sleep either."

"C.J…"

"Relax Houston, I'm cool with it," she said, "Go get yourself some coffee."

"I did see a lot of Asia in the past month," he said, "but I'm homebound for the rest of the year."

She smiled, sipping her coffee.

"That's nice…after the holiday, I'll be office bound until New Year's Eve."

He frowned as he buttered his toast.

"You work too hard."

She struggled not to laugh.

"Look who's talking Mr. Frequent Flyer…"

He couldn't deny that he had been seriously burning both ends trying to push his father's business to new heights. But he felt as if he had to…to prove himself to the father who had worked so hard all his life, so much so that Matt hadn't seen that much of him during his childhood.

"Well, I'm really going to cut back on the traveling," Matt said, "I'm beginning to forget where I am in some places."

The feeling of disorientation from rapid movement from one city to the next had left him feeling tired. His father had said that he could spend more time helping him out on major projects at the Houston office, but more and more Matt had been itching to break away from the family business and start his own company .

She nodded.

"That's good, that will allow us to see each other more."

He smiled back at her as they both ate breakfast definitely believing that to be the best part.

* * *

Matt's father always decorated his estate to the hilt during the Christmas holidays, the tree itself was a Douglas Fir that brushed the ceiling of the entrance hall and the staircase's railing had been interwoven with ribbons of different seasonal colors. The housekeeper had smiled as she opened the door seeing C.J. standing there dressed in a formal dress that she had saved for this occasion. She walked into the foyer and Bill stood there talking to another guest and smiled when he saw her, walking up to embrace her tightly.

"Welcome," he said, "Great to see you."

She had always gotten along great with Matt's father who she had known since she had been a little girl. He had often teased Matt about his feelings for her but in a good natured way because after all nothing would come about it. She left him and walked over to the refreshment table in the living room where others including Roy and his wife, Flo stood there by the fireplace where the flames crackled even as they spread warmth throughout the spacious room.

Matt dressed in his best walked up to her and embraced her. She looked up at him and he took her hand in his own and led her to get something to drink at the wet bar, some sparkling wine while he refreshed his Scotch.

"You're looking really nice," he said, "that necklace…"

She fingered it.

"The one you gave me when I finished law school."

He rubbed his forehead.

"The one that Jonathan didn't really like," he said, "but it goes great with your eyes."

She flushed a little bit.

"Houston, he didn't really care," she said, "I don't think he noticed."

They all dined on turkey and ham, along with mashed potatoes with gravy and vegetables and candied yams. Bill brought out the wine from his own private collection and Matt poured C.J. a glass.

She sipped it thoughtfully.

"This is very nice…your father's got the house decorated so pretty."

His eyebrows waggled.

"He even remembered the mistletoe."

Oh she had caught sight of it when she entered the house but she gave it a wide berth.

"Houston…you should have brought a date then."

He shook his head.

"Don't need one…"

She smiled at that as they continued eating, listening to the conversations and Christmas music in the background. Sometimes she thought that it might be nice to go behind the light flirting and seriously make a play for him…but common sense soon caught up with her.

Their friendship was the most important relationship of her life, why risk it on some short term fling? And it would be very brief because Matt's relationships were measured in days or maybe weeks but not longer than that and she just knew if she went down that road with him, it would break her heart if it didn't prove to be enough for him.

So when those thoughts came up and occasionally they did, she kept them to herself and focused on what they could share together…like right now.

"C.J…"

She looked up at him, wondering for a brief moment if he had read her mind. What would he say if he knew what she was thinking?

"You want some more wine?"

She nodded, feeling heady from the first glass but liking the taste of it. Her muscles had relaxed from her busy week and she felt such warmth in her heart at being surrounded by people she cared about including him.

Matt had gone and poured the wine and gazed over at her sitting on the couch, tucking her feet under her after removing her shoes. The party had wound down with some folks leaving and his father deep with Roy in a conversation while Flo led with some piano playing so that people could sing carols.

She and Matt just hung out together and they laughed together at some of his adventures on business. His smile warmed her even further and the way he touched her arm during the conversation, she just thought…but she smiled instead. She thought of all the great times they had spent together and the difficult times, how he had been there for her and she for him. How their friendship had withstood lots of tests to it and how during the most difficult time of her life, her good friend Julia had told her to trust it.

The fire warmed the room further and as they sat together, she kept one eye on the mistletoe and the other one on him because you could never quite tell with him. And even though she knew it wouldn't amount to much, she wouldn't have it any other way.

* * *

Outside miles away, a young police officer picked up the case file on the young woman who remained unnamed and unclaimed by any loved ones. They had worked on putting together a flier to fax around the country in hopes of solving the mystery surrounding who she was and whose eyes were the last in her sight.


End file.
